Playing Innocent
by Gaara's Little Girl
Summary: Sequel to Heartlessness. Happily ever after; Three words that have never been truer... that is, until she showed up. Now, Sarah's going to have to fight twice as hard as ever before for her husband, her son, and the fate of the kingdom. SxJxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**** Hey hey everyone! We're back! So, this is the sequel to Heartlessness! We really hope you enjoy it! Please please PLEASE review and let us know what you think!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters (except for Iris and Gremlin, but you already know that because you read the first story!)**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter One

"Once upon a time, there was a young girl whose baby brother was kidnapped by the wicked Goblin King. The girl, of course, was very upset, and so she went after the king to save her brother. But, as she fought the king, her brother was lost in the inbetween… the world between worlds. And as for the girl, she was trapped in the castle beyond the goblin city.

"She tried many times to escape, but the goblin king always caught her, and brought her back to his castle. What the girl didn't understand was that the king wasn't really wicked, just lonely. But the girl didn't care. All she wanted was to find her brother, and to go back home. She begged the king many times to go and find her brother, but the king was very sick, and didn't have the energy to find the boy. So, the girl decided to go out on her own and find him.

"One day, when she was traveling through the labyrinth, she was attacked by a group of monsters. They jumped at her, and pulled her hair, and chased her through the labyrinth trying to pull her apart. But then, all of a sudden, the goblin king appeared and saved the girl and whisked her away, back to his castle, where she would be safe. Slowly, the two began to become friends. The king took the girl to a beautiful lake, where they danced together for many hours. He gave her her own special room, and everything she could possibly wish for. But the girl was still very unhappy. She wanted her brother back very badly, and soon, she and the king were arguing all the time. And so, one night, even though the king was deathly sick, he went out when everyone in the castle was asleep, and he went to find the girl's brother.

"Oh, I've forgotten something! The king had a secret. Hundreds of years before the girl had ever come to his castle, the king had given away his heart. He traded it to a horrible little creature called a gremlin, in exchange for immortality. And so the goblin king lived for thousands of years, without a heart. And living without a heart made him bitter, cruel and very unpredictable and dangerous. That is, until he met the girl, that's when he started to soften up.

"Anyways, once the king returned, he collapsed, and he was so sick that no one was sure he was going to survive. But the girl would not give up. He had helped her, and now she was bent on doing the same for him. She and her friend found the cure, and gave it to the king, and for a moment, everything seemed wonderful. But then, the king reminded the girl that he had to take her and her brother home again. The girl was very upset. She had wanted to go home for so long, but now, she found herself beginning to fall in love with the king. And so she told him to send her brother back, but that she was going to stay with him.

"Only a few days later, the king asked the girl to marry him, and she said yes. They had a huge celebration, and everyone in the kingdom rejoiced. But that night, the gremlin who had stolen the king's heart appeared in the castle, saying that the king had cheated him when he had given his heart to the girl. And so, he tried to kill the girl! But the goblin king protected her, and fought the gremlin off. There was a terrific battle, which ended when the king killed the goblin, saving his bride's life!

"Everything went back to normal then… The king and his new queen were very happy with each other, and before long, the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, who they named after her younger brother. And they all lived happily ever after. The end."

Sarah looked down at her son, cradled in her arms. She sighed. The boy was still wide awake, blinking up at her and smiling as he sucked his thumb.

"This is the part where you go to sleep Toby," she said. Toby gurgled, and Sarah couldn't help but laugh. It had been the same fight for the past three months; she'd sing, tell stories and rock the baby until her arms were sore, but he refused to go to sleep. Not until his father was in the room.

"Alright," she said, standing up, "Time to visit daddy,"

The walk from Toby's room to the throne room wasn't a long one, but Sarah found herself lost in thought as she padded the hallways automatically, following the route she now knew by heart.

Three years had passed since she and Jareth had gotten married, and barely three months since Toby had been born. What was it she had said in the story? Happily ever after? Well, it certainly seemed that way. Ever since the gremlin's death, things had seemed much more peaceful around the castle. Even Jareth was in a good mood. He could still be sarcastic, viciously cruel and his moods were often dangerously unpredictable, but he still seemed to walk with a noticeable spring in his step, and a cheery good humor that had surrounded him ever since he'd gotten his heart back. He could often be found playing with his son, or walking down the halls humming under his breath. It was a nice change, but it took some getting used to.

Sarah blinked. Without realizing it, she had already entered the throne room, and was standing amidst the goblins as they chased each other around the small stone room. Chickens squawked loudly, the noise clashing with the drunken laughter and excited shouts of the goblins as they fought and drank. On the far side of the room, Jareth lounged horizontally in his chair, drumming his fingers against his temple as he stared at the clock.

'_Some things never change,'_ Sarah thought with a faint smile, reflecting on how even after everything they'd been through, her husband still despised his job more than anything in the world. Then again, who wouldn't?

Jareth caught sight of his wife as she made her way through the mess of goblins, and immediately perked up, smiling.

"Well well," he said, eyes sparkling, "I send for Hoggle, and they bring me back a princess… and a handsome little prince!" he said, tickling Toby gently until the baby gurgled happily.

"What are you two doing here?"

"It's nap time," Sarah said, almost apologetically. Jareth laughed and took Toby from her hands, holding him close. He started humming softly, and Sarah thought she heard him singing snatches of Magic Dance. Whatever it was, Toby was fast asleep within moments, curled into a ball in his father's arms. Before Sarah could take him back, Jareth passed the child to a nearby goblin.

"Take the little prince back to his room. And then everyone get the hell out. I want a little alone time with the queen," Jareth murmured, smirking as he wrapped an arm around Sarah's waist. Sarah blushed as Jareth leaned in to kiss her.

Their lips were hardly a few centimeters apart when the door suddenly burst open.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! There's a-… oh… I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

Sarah and Jareth broke apart to see Hoggle staring sheepishly at them from the doorway. Sarah blushed, and glanced over at Jareth, who was shaking with suppressed irritation, his eyes narrow and icy blue. She put a hand on his shoulder and answered the dwarf before her husband had a chance to berate him.

"Not at all Hoggle. What's going on?"

The dwarf swallowed hard, shifting from foot to foot urgently as he spoke.

"There's an unidentified carriage coming this way! It just appeared out of the labyrinth, and it won't stop for guards or anything!"

Jareth was at the door in a flash, calling back to Sarah as he swept down the hallway.

"Stay here, I'll be back in a moment,"

Sarah waited about a minute before following him out of the castle. By the time she had arrived to the front gate, a crowd had gathered, huddled behind Jareth who stood proudly at the front like a captain of a ship, glaring down at the cream-white carriage as it was pulled to a stop in front of the castle by a pair of coco brown horses. The door opened, and a cloaked figure stepped out, making their way up the steps and stopping before Jareth. Jareth surveyed the figure, his eyes cool and calculating.

"You have a lot of nerve, arriving here unannounced, stranger," he said, his voice rolling like thunder across the silent crowd. "Don't you know there are laws here, requiring you to present yourself to the guards?"

The stranger laughed, and spoke in a melodious voice, that was just as cold as Jareth's but distinctly female.

"I'm no stranger, Your Majesty. You know me quite well,"

Jareth frowned.

"Who are you?" he asked slowly. The figure reached up, and removed her hood. The woman was pale, with long blonde hair and a curvaceous body, which the cloak did little to hide.

As Sarah looked at the woman, she thought she saw a pair of glittering black eyes staring back at her, but she blinked and the eyes had shifted to a deep emerald green.

Jareth stumbled back, his face a mask of shock as he stared at the smiling blonde woman who stood before him.

"Iris…" he whispered, swallowing hard. Iris glanced over Jareth's shoulder, her eyes meeting Sarah's, and her smile seemed to grow cold, almost menacing.

"And who do we have here?"

**Author's Note:**** So? What do you think? Review and let us know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!**

**Disclaimer: **** We don't own Labyrinth or any characters (except Iris)**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Two

"Sarah," Sarah said calmly to Iris. She walked calmly out from behind Jareth and stood next to him.

"Why are you here?" Iris asked.

"She happens to be queen," Hoggle said to Iris. "How are we supposed to know you're not some imposter?" He pointed at the blonde woman and then put his hands on his hips.

"What would only the real Iris know?" Sarah asked.

Jareth seemed to think for a minute. "How did you die?" he asked her.

"I-I don't know," Iris replied. "I followed you into my bedroom after our wedding. You-you kissed me and then well," Iris seemed to get extremely upset. "You changed," she whispered, looking at Jareth. "You changed into some creature and attacked."

Sarah and Jareth looked at each other. Sarah walked up and gently patted Iris' shoulder. "He did the same thing to me too," Sarah whispered to her. "Trust me, it wasn't Jareth."

"I-it wasn't? Whoever it was, they played the role extremely convincingly."

Sarah smiled. "I know. Don't worry, they won't be coming back." Iris gave Sarah a small smile.

"Where will she stay, majesty?" Hoggle asked Jareth.

"In her room," Jareth replied.

"What about Toby?" Sarah asked.

"Who's Toby?" Iris asked.

"Our son," Sarah said.

"He can sleep in our room," Jareth answered. "You can't deny you've been considering it, Sarah," he added to her look of shock. Sarah sighed. Toby hadn't been sleeping through the night so Sarah had thought it would be easier to have him in their room. Damn Jareth's mindreading abilities.

Sarah stalked off grumpily as the goblins helped Iris move her stuff into her room and moved Toby's things into her and Jareth's bedroom. She wasn't in the mood to put up with Iris at this moment. It wasn't that Sarah held anything against the girl…yet.

Hoggle found Sarah in the library, reading a book on the window seat. Sarah looked over at him and then went back to reading. "Oh, hey Hoggle."

"Hi, Sarah," Hoggle said. He stood awkwardly in the door.

"What is it?" Sarah asked from behind her book. She wasn't sure what, but something was bothering her. Probably the fact that the painting of her, Jareth and Toby, which had hung in Toby's room, had been moved somewhere.

"Sarah, are-are you alright?" he asked, looking at her. "You don't seem to be the same right now. You are never in here."

"I'm fine," she replied quickly; too quickly.

"Look, Sarah. Just ignore her. I have a feeling she won't be staying too long."

"Thanks, Hoggle, I'll keep that in mind," Sarah said, smiling at him. Hoggle continued to stand there. "Hoggle, is there something else?" she asked.

"No, your majesty," Hoggle replied quickly and bowed and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

**Author's Note:**** Thanks so much for reading! Please keep on reviewing! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**** Hey everyone! Sorry, I meant to update the story yesterday, but I got a bit caught up. Updates are probably going to be every Tuesday and Friday! ANYWAYS! Please review, and let us know what you think of the story!**

**Disclaimer:**** We do not own Labyrinth, no matter how badly we wish we did…**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Three

As the days went by, Sarah was finding it more and more difficult to follow Hoggle's advice and "just ignore" Iris. In fact, it was becoming difficult to avoid her all together.

The girl seemed to be everywhere at once, always smiling and laughing in that easy, flirtatious way of hers. She seemed to float through life, without a care in the world, an absolutely radiant star in her own right. She was stunningly beautiful, a fact only accentuated by the gowns and furs she wore (Sarah wondered whether she had brought them, or if Jareth had bestowed them on her) and the jeweled necklaces that always hung from her elegant, swan-like neck. Sarah could always tell when Iris had been somewhere, because the air would be thick with her flowery perfumes and everyone always seemed to be a little dazed. She was the only woman in the kingdom Sarah had ever seen wearing makeup of any kind, her lips often being stained a deep cherry red and her cheeks a rosy pink.

Everyone seemed to be wholly taken with her, and Iris was never seen without the company of at least six goblins in tow, all complimenting her, singing her praises, and doing their best to make her comfortable. Even Jareth seemed to light up when Iris was around, and would go out of his way to do things for her that even the lowliest of servants could have managed to do themselves.

But none of that bothered Sarah. She didn't care that Iris was beautiful and carefree. She didn't mind that the goblins liked her more, or that once Iris walked into the room, she ceased to exist. There was just something about her mischievous little smile that set Sarah on edge. The way her eyes would change color every now and again from green to black, and then back to green again. But more than anything, it was the way she seemed to look down on Sarah, and everything she did.

Just the other day, Sarah had caught Iris giving Toby his bottle. When Sarah had asked what the hell she was doing in her son's bedroom, the woman had just laughed.

"Well, I figured I might as well give him a proper drink," she said, smirking at Sarah. "You know, considering you can't ever get him to quiet down, I figured I might give it a shot. And you know, when you feed a baby, you should warm their milk for them. That way, they feel tired, and you can set them down for a nap without them fussing and screaming,"

She promptly deposited Toby into his stunned mother's arms and left the room. It was then that Sarah noticed the mobile Iris had set up above Toby's crib, decorated with delicate little designs and figures. Sighing, Sarah glanced at her son and was shocked to see that for the first time, he had fallen asleep without being in his father's arms.

A few days later, Iris had taken it upon herself to fix Jareth lunch and to bring it to him in the throne room.

"You know, he's got a sweet tooth. I've seen some of the recipes you've been making for him, or had the servants make or whatever, and sweetheart, let me just say you've got a _lot _to learn about your husband and his tastes. Oh, and by the way, he's allergic to nutmeg, so I'd stop trying to slip that into his food unless you're trying to kill him," Iris had said, flouncing out of the kitchen.

"And he likes _red_ wine. Not that you'd know the difference. Just because the bottle is pretty, doesn't mean he's going to like what's inside!" she called over her shoulder, laughing. Sarah, unable to think of a witty response, simply stood there, her cheeks scarlet with rage and embarrassment.

Of course, the entire ordeal was made entirely worse later that night when Jareth, unaware of his wife's mounting dislike for the newcomer, could not stop talking about "what an absolute delight" Iris was and "how useful it was to have her around." Sarah had promptly burst into tears and started screaming incoherently before leaving the room, leaving a bewildered Jareth behind her.

The next morning, he had gone to the library to find Sarah and apologize, but she wasn't there. All he found was a new set of curtains and the thick scent of mint and lavender floating in the air. Later that morning, he had found Sarah out in the garden, poking holes in the ground as she stared moodily at the dirt.

"Sarah?" Jareth said softly, kneeling down beside her. She refused to look at him, allowing her dark brown hair to cover her face and hide her tired eyes. Jareth wrapped and arm around her and pulled her close, and Sarah lay her head against his chest.

"I thought you'd be in the library," he joked, giving her a soft smile. Sarah's mood seemed to immediately darken.

"I can't go in there anymore. Iris and her cronies are always skulking around in there," she said bitterly, clearly upset by the loss of her favorite niche. Jareth sighed.

"I'm sorry Sarah," he murmured, stroking her hair. She shifted in his arms, but said nothing. They sat like that for a while, until Sarah seemed more at peace, and then they decided to go inside. Sensing that his wife would be aimlessly wandering around the castle if he didn't do something about it, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and invited her to sit with him in the throne room.

"We can avoid any… unwanted visitors," he said, smiling. An ironic notion, but Sarah gave him a grateful smile and followed him. However, they both stopped abruptly as the smell of mint and lavender began to drift through the air, and as they opened the door, their jaws dropped.

The throne room, which was usually covered in grime and dirt, was sparkling clean. The polished stone floor glittered, and both Jareth and Sarah were surprised to find that, instead of cobblestone, the room was actually made of marble. The depression in the middle of the room had been filled with water, which swirled, showing images from all over the castle and labyrinth as it did. The glass in the windows had been replaced, and white curtains hung around them, blowing in the gentle breeze. Pillows had been placed on the thrones, and the old, tattered cloth had been replaced, and the armrests polished. Goblins bustled about, arranging short columns around the room and placing flowers on them. In the midst of the organize chaos, Iris stood, wreathed in sunlight as she looked around, smiling her easy going smile. She caught sight of them and waved.

"Well, hello there," she called, smiling flirtatiously at Jareth, who still stood dumbstruck in the doorway. Sarah pressed herself closer to her husband, still taking in the amazing change that the throne room had undergone.

"Iris… what have you done?" Jareth asked, his voice faint with shock. She smiled and shrugged.

"Oh, nothing really… Just a bit of cleaning and redecorating, that's all. This place is so dreary, not fit for a royal family at all! I figured it could use a…. woman's touch. You know, someone who's skilled at home making," she said, pointedly smirking at Sarah. Jareth, who didn't seem to notice the sting to Iris's comment, simply smiled appreciatively.

"It's stunning!" he exclaimed, "You've done and absolutely marvelous job,"

Iris curtseyed graciously, still smiling. She glanced over at Sarah, who still looked distinctively put out.

"You can help if you want," she said, nonchalantly. "You're a bit short, but if you want, you can use whatever magical skills you have… however rudimentary they may be, and hang the curtains,"

Sarah blushed and tried to keep her composure. Jareth put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Sarah doesn't have magical abilities," he said softly. Iris paused, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at Sarah. Sarah suddenly felt as though she were only an inch tall as she stared into Iris's disapproving and almost disgusted green eyes… or were they black?

"She doesn't? Why not?"

"Well… She's human," Jareth replied, almost apologetically. Sarah looked at Jareth. It had never occurred to her that her being human could ever be seen as an embarrassment or strange. She had assumed, because of the loving way Jareth treated her that it didn't matter. Apparently, that was not the case.

Iris smirked slightly and shrugged.

"Ah well. We can't all be blessed, can we? Well then, I suppose we'll have to think of something for you to do," she said. "I suppose you could help the others with the flower arrangements. You can do that, can't you?"

Sarah glared at Iris, but accepted her challenge wordlessly. Jareth watched, bewildered as the two women stalked away from each other and set about their tasks.

"Jareth," Iris called a few minutes later, "Jareth sweetie, can you help me up here? I can't quite reach the window,"

Sarah looked up in time to see her husband lifting Iris by the waist as she 'struggled' to attach a new set of curtains. It was then that she realized that, at the angle Iris was leaning over, the only thing her husband could probably see were the two mountainous breasts that Iris insisted on waving in his face. Sarah turned away, seething, and subsequently pricked her finger on a thorn of one of the roses she was tending. She popped the bleeding finger in her mouth, trying to focus on the pain. This proved more difficult than she had originally planned, because when she looked up again, Jareth and Iris were leaning against a wall, and Jareth was animatedly describing something, much to the interest of his audience. Sarah stood and moved over to them, trying to remain as casual as she possibly could.

"And so then I-… Oh! Sarah, when did you get here?" Jareth asked, catching sight of her. Sarah forced a smile.

"I've been here. So, what are we talking about?" she asked, glancing between the two of them. Jareth smiled.

"I was just telling Iris the story of our wedding night… You know, that whole thing with the gremlin,"

"Yes," Iris said, her voice oddly cool. "You must have had your hands full,"

Sarah nodded slowly, carefully avoiding Iris's gaze. There was something unsettling in the woman's eyes, as though she had a deep longing to cause Sarah pain. But Iris blinked, and the look disappeared, replaced with a weak smile.

"Well," she said softly, "I better get back to work,"

She walked away, and Sarah felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She lay her head against Jareth, and buried her face in his chest, unable to shake the growing feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes and forced herself to think of other things. With any luck, Iris would be gone soon, and everything would return to normal.

**Author's Note:**** Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please please PLEASE review! Let us know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author****'****s**** Note: ****Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeey**** people! ****Thought**** I**** forgot**** about**** you,**** didn****'****t**** ya?**** Well****… ****actually,**** I**** kinda ****did,**** and**** I**** feel ****horrible ****about**** that.**** I****'****ve**** just**** been**** SUPER ****busy****… ****But**** I****'****m**** updating**** now,**** so**** please ****don****'****t**** be**** mad!**** Please**** review!**

**Disclaimer:****Nope,****we**** still**** don****'****t ****own ****Labyrinth****… ****sucks,**** right?**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Four

"Jareth," Sarah asked. It was early morning. The sun was slowly rising behind the labyrinth wall. Sarah was already in bed wearing a soft cotton nightgown and Toby was still asleep in his crib. She wasn't looking at Jareth

"Yes?" Sarah felt the bed give a little and wind on her back as Jareth pulled back the covers and got out of bed.

"How long is Iris staying?" she asked. Sarah didn't just ask out of curiosity. She couldn't wait to get rid of her. There was always something off—something quite right in her smile, her laugh—which frightened Sarah. She felt like she was the only one who saw those minute details in Iris' expression.

"However long she wants," Jareth replied quietly. He walked over to her side of the bed and kissed the top of her head. Sarah sighed but did not relax. Her expression was completely blank. She looked like she was sleeping with her eyes open. "Sarah? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied blankly.

Jareth breeched the two inch gap and kissed her gently. She kissed him back, but Jareth could tell her mind was somewhere else. "Sarah, what's wrong?"

Sarah sighed. "How long is Iris staying?"

"As long as she wants," Jareth replied. He realized instantly that was the wrong answer. He could see it in Sarah's eyes. Sarah rolled away from him, looking at the opposite wall. "Sarah?"

Sarah muttered something that sounded like "figures," under her breath and curled in a ball.

"Sarah, what are you thinking about?"

"Whether or not I'll have to keep an eye on you until we kick Iris out," Sarah replied calmly, still staring at sleeping Toby.

"Sarah, what are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she replied, sitting up and looking at him.

"Come now, Sarah, don't you trust me?" Jareth asked, chuckling as he sat up to look at her. Sarah's expression said it all. She didn't, really. Plain and simple, Sarah didn't want to lose her husband to a girl who has been dead 2,500 years. He thought about Iris for a minute. Technically speaking, she was only a short distance away in her bedroom.

Sarah gave him a look. She could see his mind had wandered. She rolled her eyes, gave him an annoyed sigh and got out of bed. "Why do I even bother?" she muttered before stalking out the room.

Sarah went to the library, slamming the door behind her. She sat by the window and stared moodily out at the labyrinth, waiting for the sun to rise fully. Once it was late enough she could go back to the bedroom to change into something decent for the day. She wasn't in a bad enough mood to sleep in the library that night. She almost thought Jareth might come after her, but he didn't. She sighed and let a few tears slide down her face.

Jareth watched her stalk out, wondering what was wrong. He had half a mind to go after her, but decided against it. Instead, he changed back into his regular everyday clothing and went to go sit in the throne room. What did you do when your wife was angry for no apparent reason?

He sat on his throne and listened to all the Goblins chatter pointlessly and chase chickens around the throne room. It gave him a distraction from Sarah.

Iris walked in. "Hey," she said, smiling at him as she approached.

"Hi," Jareth replied. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to her right now.

"What's wrong?" Iris asked

"I don't know," Jareth replied.

"How do you deal with that?" Iris asked, kneeling in front of Jareth.

"What?" Jareth asked.

"That one time of the month when the pretty human girl you married becomes a complete bitch? I mean, she just completely changes personality and suddenly the sweet little girl becomes a demanding, self-centered woman?"

"Sarah's never had a problem with that," Jareth replied.

Iris shrugged. "It tends to get worse as they get older."

**Author****'****s**** Note:****What**** did**** you ****think? ****Review ****and ****tell**** us!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey everybody! This is the newest update, and we really hope you like it! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, we still don't own Labyrinth… :(**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Five

It was early evening by the time Jareth figured out what was wrong. He'd spent most of the afternoon in the throne room with Iris, struggling to wrap his mind around what the problem was. He'd barely noticed how the conversation had strayed to what life had been like two-thousand years ago, when they'd first met, or how Iris had perched herself on the armchair of his throne.

It was relaxing, laying there with Iris gently massaging his shoulders, with the afternoon sun warm on his face. He'd closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax, the smell of Iris's perfume thick in the air. He had almost fallen asleep when the realization hit him, and it was as if someone had laid a ton of bricks across his shoulders.

He stood up hastily, apologizing to Iris who was staring at him with mingled surprise and disappointment, before sprinting out of the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sarah was already in bed by the time he entered the room. Jareth sighed, and sat down on the edge of the bed, slowly running his fingers through Sarah's hair as he tried to think of something to say. He knew she was awake just by her breathing, and the slight flutter of her eyelids as she tried to keep her eyes closed.

"Sarah?"

She didn't move. Jareth sighed and kissed her forehead gently.

"I'm sorry… I mean, I'm always sorry but-" he sighed, and ran a hand through his white-blonde hair.

"What do you want me to say? We haven't fought like this in so long… and there's no reason for us to be fighting now. You know I love you, and there' s no one in this world or any other who could come between us. Just because Iris is my first wife and she's staying with us, doesn't mean you have any reason to worry,"

"Oh yeah?" Sarah said, sitting up and glaring at her husband. "How so?"

Jareth smiled and nuzzled her neck gently.

"Because," he murmured, kissing her neck, "Iris may be beautiful, but she's not you. And you're the one I love,"

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. It was brief, but it was enough reassurance to make her relax, at least temporarily. Jareth, on the other hand, couldn't force the guilty memories of how he had spent his afternoon from his mind. Sensing that something was wrong, Sarah sighed and laid her head against Jareth's chest.

"Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Don't ever leave me," Sarah whispered, wrapping her arms around Jareth's waist, "especially not for her,"

Jareth smiled weakly and kissed her forehead gently.

"Wouldn't dream of it,"

**Author's Note: Well, we hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please please PLEASE review and tell us what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: SO sorry! School has been crazy lately… Spirit week and all that, not to mention a whole lot of homework! Enjoy this new chapter! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: We still don't own Labyrinth… Just Iris… anyone wanna trade?**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Six

Sarah walked into the goblin city to clear her head. She needed to get out of the palace for a few hours. Toby also needed something to play with, so she also had to stop by the market to see if they had anything for him. The goblins all smiled at her and ran over to say hi and help her out. It felt nice to be somewhere where everyone was willing to help out and no one was ignoring her.

She spent time talking with the goblins and laughing with them as she made her way to the market. Four young goblins came running up the road to her as she walked. She loved them. They were so sweet and cheerful.

"Miss Sawah! Miss Sawah!" they called as they ran towards her. Sarah smiled widely and kneeled down on the dirt floor, opening her arms and ignoring the dirt on her dress. They ran into her arms, almost knocking her over.

"Hello, girls," Sarah said, smiling at them. "How are you doing?"

"Gweat!" they all chorused in return. "How aw you?"

"I'm doing fine," Sarah replied, smiling at them. She didn't want to go into the details of her life with them. The girls giggled and told Sarah all about everything since she'd left, right down to why one of the girls had a bruise on her knee.

Sarah finally started to relax. Outside the palace, surrounded by goblins, it didn't matter she was twice their height or couldn't do any magic. She was just simply a friend. They didn't even treat her as formally as they did Jareth, partly because Sarah had asked them not to and partly because she treated them like an equal as opposed to subjects.

Sarah bought a cute doll she thought Toby would like and continued on her way through the market when a voice behind her stopped her. She turned around. Jareth was standing there, looking at her.

"Yes?" she asked, almost defensively.

"I was just looking for you," Jareth said, walking over to her and giving her a hug. "Stop disappearing on me."

Sarah and all the goblins laughed. "I can't go very far in the space of an hour," Sarah replied cheerfully. "Besides, where would I go?"

"Oh, I don't know, somewhere other than here?" another voice asked. Iris came from behind Jareth, looking at her with a semi-cruel look. It disappeared as soon as Sarah saw it. She blinked.

"Oh, very descriptive," Sarah said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She took one step forward. "There, I'm somewhere else." The goblins burst into hysterical laughter. They loved it when Sarah was so sarcastic and literal. "Have I disappeared yet?"

Jareth slung a careless arm around her shoulder. "I don't think so," he said, chuckling.

"Always good to know I'm still around," Sarah said. Iris rolled her eyes. Her expression was one of those 'this is so stupid' looks.

"Where's your clothing?" one of the girls asked, pointing at Iris. She didn't mean literally, but Iris was wearing an extremely low cut lime green which clashed violently with her hair. Everyone turned to Iris.

Iris gave the young girl a death glare. One of the other goblins instantly stepped in front of the child. "A thousand apologies, My Lady. She's only referring to the fact that your neckline is much lower than Queen Sarah's."

Iris' glare was gone in an instant. "Oh, no problem," she said, a laugh escaping from her lips. "I prefer to wear lower cut things," she replied. She leaned over to the little goblin, who came to stand next to Sarah and hold her leg. Sarah and Jareth got a perfect view down Iris' dress. Sarah sighed and covered her eyes. There went any hope for a peaceful day.

Sarah muttered something unintelligible under her breath and glared at Iris as she stood up. "Subtract the death glare and add a smile," she said to Iris. "They're more likely to open warmly up to you."

"I don't need you to tell me how to get along with people," Iris said. "You should lower your neckline a few inches," she added. "Could make you look a little better."

Sarah smiled cruelly. "I'll think about it. By the way, that green is just SO your color," she retorted. "Where did you get it? I'll make sure the shop only makes that color green."

Iris smiled back. Before she could respond, Sarah ducked under Jareth's arm and walked swiftly back to the castle to play with Toby and see if she could have one moment of peace.

**Author's Note: Do you like it? Hate it? Review and let us know!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Well, we (okay, _I_… Epic Failing had nothing to do with the lack of updates) have OFFICIALLY put this off for too long, and it's about time for us to update! Enjoy this new chapter! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: We still don't own Labyrinth… Just Iris… XP**

**This chapter was written by: Gaara's Little Girl**

Chapter Seven

'_As if spending the day with her wasn't enough,'_ Sarah thought bitterly, glaring at Iris out of the corner of her eye. They were in the kitchen, where Sarah had been hoping to find a bit of peace and solitude, hiding herself amongst the goblin cooks as she explored the different smells and tastes of the goblin's cuisine.

But apparently Iris had had a similar idea.

'_That, or she's using her cooking skills to steal my husband,'_ Sarah thought. Iris was being her usual self, sweeping around with her ever-benevolent smile and musical laugh as she insisted on tasting everything the goblins had to offer. By the time she reached Sarah, who was struggling her way through a recipe for sweet cakes, Iris's perfume was mingled with the smells of everything in the kitchen, which somehow even made her seem even more appealing.

Sarah tried to suppress her growing irritation with the hovering woman, but the more she tried to concentrate on the cakes, the more mistakes she seemed to make. She dropped egg shells in the bowl, sloshed milk across the counter, and twice she reached for the bottle of nutmeg, only to remember her husband was allergic, and was forced to put it back. All the while, she could feel Iris's eyes on her, and the one time she glanced up, Iris was shaking with suppressed laughter.

Sarah sighed and put down the bowl and whirled around to face Iris.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked coldly, forcing a smile at the older woman. Iris smiled.

"No, nothing at all," Iris said, smirking. Sarah tried not to roll her eyes. Iris's smile widened as she moved beside Sarah. She swiped a finger through the bowl and popped the sticky finger into her mouth.

"Tart,"

Sarah glared at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Tart. The batter is very tart," Iris replied coolly. Sarah blushed and glanced at the bowl.

"It can't be," she murmured, "I put like, two whole cups of sugar in there!"

"Trust me, it's tart. Or at least, Jareth will think so," Iris said, picking up the bag of sugar and pouring a fair amount in.

"You know," she said offhandedly, stirring the mix, "I think you and I got off on the wrong foot. I know how hard it can be, coming to a strange place and being expected to do things that you clearly have no knowledge about, and you're not very good at doing anyways. And I don't just mean politics I mean the whole 'wife' thing in general. And it doesn't help that you're human, if anything, that just makes it that much worse! You have to do everything the hard way, which basically makes you that much more useless than any of the other thousands of girls Jareth could have picked. At least you make nice children, but honestly, that doesn't mean much if you can't even take care of them. And you're so young… Still, most girls have been learning this sort of thing since they were born! What on earth did your mother teach you?" she laughed. Sarah gritted her teeth.

"My mother left," she hissed, trying to remain calm. Iris smiled softly to herself.

"Figures. Well, you have me here now, and I can teach you all you need to know about your husband," she said. Sarah stiffened, her cheeks flushed with rage as Iris dumped the cake mix onto the counter and began kneading the dough into small round balls.

"First, your cooking skills leave much to be desired. Following the recipe is fine and all, if you know what your cooking, and clearly, you don't. Do you even know what Jareth's favorite food is? Never mind, that was a silly question. Of course you don't. Well, once you start to figure out the types of food he likes, then maybe you should focus on cleaning the place up a bit. This place is filthy, and in desperate need of redecorating. Then, maybe you should learn a bit more about your son-"

"Alright, that's enough!" Sarah said. Iris only smiled.

"It's just the truth darling," she said sweetly, "After all, you can't even get him to settle down for a nap!"

Sarah went silent and looked away. Iris patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"And let me just tell you one more thing," she murmured. Iris picked up a bottle of wine and pulled it open.

"Jareth likes his women, the way he likes his wine. Savory, clean, and of course… full bodied," she smirked. Sarah glared at her.

"And old as fucking time itself," she spat back. Iris glared at her.

"Mature darling, it's called mature," she replied, examining the wine. She lifted her hand, upon which she wore a large emerald ring, and tapped the stone on the side of the bottle. The stone cracked, and a small amount of liquid dripped from the center and into the bottle. Sarah's eyes widened in alarm.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Iris smiled and re-corked the bottle.

"I'm just giving it a bit of flavor."

She put the bottle down and gave Sarah a cold smile.

"Why don't you run along? I've got things under control here," she said coolly. Sarah bristled and stormed from the room. She left the kitchens and headed upstairs, muttering under her breath.

"Of all the inconsiderate, irritating, uppity, bossy-… ouch!"

Sarah felt herself slam into something large and hard, and when she looked up, she saw Jareth smiling down at her. But the smile quickly faded when he saw the tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Sarah? Angel, what's wrong?" he murmured, kissing her forehead.

"I want that bitch out of our house," Sarah hissed. Jareth looked surprised for a moment, before he started to laugh.

"Who, Iris? But why?"

"Because I can't stand her… her… just her! Everything she does is so-… Jareth please, I swear I'll never ask you for anything else ever again, just get her out of this house! I can't take it anymore!" Sarah said, the tears starting to spill down her cheeks.

Jareth leaned down and kissed the tears away, holding her close and letting Sarah cry into his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair as he spoke.

"Sarah… Listen. I know she can be… difficult to deal with at times, but that's just the way she is. Sarcasm and being cryptically bitter about things is just her way of speaking. I know it's difficult to accept, and it'll take some time, but I promise you, it'll be worth it. You two are going to end up being the best of friends, if you just give her a chance. Please? You'll laugh about this later, I promise,"

Sarah glared up at Jareth, who was giving her a weak smile.

"When, exactly, am I supposed to be laughing?"

"Tonight? Because I sort of invited her to dinner…"

"Jareth!"

"Sarah, please! It's just one night. What's the worst that could happen? Please? For me, will you just… give her another chance?"

Sarah sighed and wrapped her arms around Jareth's waist.

"Just… don't leave me alone tonight, okay?"

He kissed her gently, smiling.

"Your wish is my command."

**Author's Note: So? What did you think? Review and let us know!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**** Hey! Remember that time I said we'd update regularly… Yeah, sorry about that… Anyways enjoy this new chapter! Please review!**

**Disclaimer:**** We don't own Labyrinth… Just Iris… unfortunately.**

**This chapter was written by: Epic Failing Again**

Chapter Eight

Sarah, Jareth and Iris sat down for dinner with Toby's highchair between Iris and Sarah. As usual, Iris was wearing a dress with a neckline far too low to be considered wearable in court. The deep red dress did complement her dark eyes and give them a hint of brown. Sarah, in a light blue dress, completely ignored Iris as she fed Toby his bottle and laughed as he managed to spill most of the liquid all over himself and her.

"Does he really have to eat with us?" Iris asked disdainfully, watching Sarah slowly get splashed with baby formula.

"He's not eating, he's drinking," Sarah replied coldly.

"Whatever he's doing, why does he have make his mess here?" Iris asked, throwing Toby an elegantly disgusted look.

"Because he's my son," Sarah replied. Toby giggled, clapping his hands. Sarah laughed and set to work wiping down Toby's face and hands with a small damp cloth, heedless of the damage to her own dress.

"Jareth," Iris whined. "Why is he eating with us?"

"Because he always eats with us," Sarah cut in, setting down the dirty cloth on the little table attached to Toby's highchair. Toby started banging on his little table and accidentally hit the dirty cloth which made a squishing sound. Toby stopped banging and hit the cloth again, giggling as he made the squishing sound again. Toby picked up the cloth, shook it around and then dropped it again, getting little spots of formula all over the high chair and floor.

"Alright Toby, that's enough," Sarah said, sighing as she reached to take the cloth from him. Toby picked it up and swung it out of her grasp, but accidentally let go. It flew a short distance through the air and hit Iris squarely in the upper chest, where decency said there should be cloth but there wasn't as usual.

Iris' look of disgust and horror was priceless as she peeled the dirty cloth off of herself and dropped it on the table. Sarah would have gladly paid half the value of the goblin kingdom to see that look on Iris' face again.

"Ok Toby, bedtime," Sarah sighed, pulling Toby out of his highchair, barely containing her laughter. She didn't really want to leave Iris and Jareth, but she knew she had to take Toby out before Iris personally kicked him out.

"Excuse me," Iris said, standing up and walking swiftly out of the room, passing Sarah as she went.

Sarah walked Toby to her and Jareth's room. Once there, she burst out laughing. Finally, regaining her composure, Sarah walked Toby over to his crib. She kissed his head and gently set him down. Toby remained wide-awake, grinning at her.

"It's time for bed, Toby," Sarah sighed. "As in, go to sleep," she said to Toby's wide-open eyes.

"Need some help?" a voice asked from the door, sounding amused. Sarah turned around. Jareth was leaning against the doorway, smiling at her.

"Yeah," Sarah replied. Why couldn't she get Toby to sleep?

Jareth smiled and walked over. He picked up Toby and rocked him. Within the first verse of "I'll be there for you," Toby was fast asleep. Jareth gently placed Toby back in his crib and put his arm around Sarah.

She looked at him with a perfectly blank expression, but her eyes said it all. They were questioning, asking him if he still loved them and their owner.

Jareth held her face gently in his hands, leaned down and kissed her, easing his lips gently over hers. He hoped he could answer her unasked question with a definitive "yes."She kissed him back, her arms slowly curling around his neck. He held her to him, his hands stroking her back, loosening the laces on her dress.

A loud rap on the door broke the trance. "Dinner is served," Hoggle called from the other side of the heavy wooden door. _Well at least he learned his lesson and knocked,_ Jareth thought vaguely, having no intention of going to dinner. Sarah's stomach growled loudly. Jareth burst out laughing.

"Let's go to dinner," he said, offering her his arm.

Sarah turned red, but threaded his arm through his anyway.

"I got us some wine," Iris said when they entered.

Jareth smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Dig in," Hoggle said as Jareth and Sarah sat down.

There was an awkward silence as they ate. Even Iris wasn't flirting with Jareth, probably because she still smelled faintly of baby formula.

Sarah couldn't keep her thoughts straight. They bounced from Iris to Jareth to Toby to food and back to Iris again.

Sarah reached for her glass of wine, but then retracted her hand again. Was alcohol really the best thing for her right now?

"A toast," Iris said, raising her crystal goblet. "The health of all of us and the labyrinth."

"Us and the labyrinth," Sarah and Jareth repeated.

Sarah raised her goblet to her lips and took a swallow. The crystal fell to the ground as fire coursed through her veins. The crystal smashed into a million pieces as it hit the floor but Sarah didn't notice. Her eyes widened as the fire burned through her as if her blood was a river of gasoline. Sarah's head began to throb and burst into flames in pain. She became confused, unsure of what was going on and where she was and then proceeded to vomit violently all over Iris.

Iris stood up rapidly and ran out of the room. "Murder! Murder in the castle!" she screamed as she ran.

Jareth watched his queen in horror as she gasped in pain from whatever was in the wine. "Sarah! Sarah!" he cried. "Answer me!" She looked at him through unfocused eyes. She stood up slowly, balancing herself on the table. Jareth stood up quickly and went to her side, catching her when she fell over and slipped into a coma. "Sarah!" he cried, shaking her. She went still. "Sarah! Sarah!"

**Author's Note:**** Thoughts? Comments? Review and let us know!**


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